--- title: "At 64, Retd Commissioner Turns Delhi Home Into a 1,000-Plant Garden" url: https://projectchintan.com/article/delhi-64-retired-commissioner-garden-jj508 publisher: Project Chintan author: Project Chintan Newsroom section: Society published: 2026-08-27T11:00:40.175Z modified: 2026-08-27T13:00:04.147Z language: en-IN --- # At 64, Retd Commissioner Turns Delhi Home Into a 1,000-Plant Garden A 64-year-old retired additional income tax commissioner in Delhi has cultivated a garden of over 1,000 plants, including more than 400 fruit varieties, across his home’s terraces and verandahs for 13 years. He uses drip irrigation and green nets to manage water and weather challenges. ## Key takeaways - A Delhi-based 64-year-old retired tax official maintains a garden of more than 1,000 plants across multiple spaces of his home. - The collection includes over 400 fruit plants across around 40 varieties, with produce such as mangoes, lemons, and pineapples. - He uses drip irrigation and protective nets to cope with Delhi’s climate, water scarcity, and pollution while sharing harvests with neighbors. ## What Happened Padam Singh, aged 64, who previously served as an additional income tax commissioner, has transformed his Delhi residence into a dense garden that spans terraces and verandahs. Over the past 13 years, he has cultivated more than 1,000 trees and plants, with upwards of 400 fruiting plants across around 40 varieties. Among the cultivated produce are mangoes, guavas, berries, starfruit, custard apples, chiku, pomegranates, lemons, and pineapples, many growing in large pots. He regularly shares fruits with neighbors, and the harvest sustains his household for much of the year. Singh has avoided buying lemons for years, attributing this to the abundance produced at his home. Practically, the gardening effort faces the city’s typical urban constraints. Delhi’s summers, winters, water scarcity, and pollution shape his approach. To protect the plants and conserve water, he employs green nets during harsh weather and relies on drip irrigation to manage water use. He notes that different plants thrive in different parts of the house and require varying levels of care. Singh’s gardening journey began in childhood in Muzaffarnagar, where his mother taught him to value plants. After a lull in gardening when work took precedence, he reengaged with the hobby at age 52, gradually expanding from a few pots to a substantial collection that now defines his daily routine. Passers-by and neighbors frequently observe the verdant display surrounding his home, and Singh remains open to sharing what he has learned, including contact through his Instagram handle @padamsingh_irs. ## Why It Matters The story highlights how urban residents can pursue self-sustaining greenery despite environmental and logistical hurdles. Singh’s use of pots and terraces demonstrates a scalable model for urban nutrition and greenery in dense cities. The approach—combining a large number of plants with targeted irrigation and weather protection—offers a practical example of personal resilience and environmental stewardship in a metropolitan context. ## Background The project traces back to Singh’s childhood in a village environment in Muzaffarnagar, where his mother influenced his interest in plants. After years away from gardening during a career, he renewed the hobby in his 50s and gradually turned his Delhi home into a multi-variety garden over more than a decade. ## Key Facts - Age of the gardener: 64 - Occupation: Retired additional income tax commissioner - Location: Delhi, India - Time span for gardening expansion: 13 years - Total plants: more than 1,000 - Fruit plants: over 400 across 40 varieties - Examples of crops: mangoes, guavas, berries, starfruit, custard apples, chiku, pomegranates, lemons, pineapples - Water management: drip irrigation - Weather protection: green nets - Community impact: shares harvest with neighbors - Public outreach: Instagram contact @padamsingh_irs ## What Happens Next The record shows ongoing cultivation and expansion of his home garden as part of Singh’s daily routine. There is no explicit announced plan for further projects beyond continuing to tend the existing plants and share the learning with others who visit or contact him. --- Canonical: https://projectchintan.com/article/delhi-64-retired-commissioner-garden-jj508 Reported from: Multiple Sources